Olmert's Shalit Demand Shakes Up Egypt
Al-Manar
".....Zvi Mazel, a former Israeli ambassador to Egypt who is now a research fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, suggested that Olmert's decision to make a truce conditional for Shalit is not necessarily bad for the Egyptians.
On one hand, he said, Egypt was eager to score points at home and abroad by successfully brokering a cease-fire agreement. But on the other, Israel's announcement concerning Shalit helps Egypt to maintain its tough stance vis-a-vis Hamas.
While Hamas wants Egypt to fully open its Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip, Cairo has insisted that it would not do so without the acceptance and presence of the Palestinian Authority, as dictated by a 2005 agreement. Egypt is particularly concerned that an open border with Rafah would allow Hamas fighters to acquire training, support or equipment from Iran.
"Since the Egyptians have been negotiating with Hamas since the end of the war... they have not made any concessions to Hamas," noted Mazel, who served as Israeli ambassador to Egypt between 1996 and 2001. "They kept telling them, 'Listen, you have lost the war... and you cannot impose conditions'" on Israel or Egypt.
Egypt is trying to contain Hamas, in coordination with the PA and Israel, as much as it can, while at the same time maintaining stability in the Gaza Strip, according to Mazel. As a result, he said, "if Israel becomes, at the last moment, tougher vis-a-vis Hamas and links Gilad Shalit to the agreement, it's not so bad for the Egyptians.""
Al-Manar
".....Zvi Mazel, a former Israeli ambassador to Egypt who is now a research fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, suggested that Olmert's decision to make a truce conditional for Shalit is not necessarily bad for the Egyptians.
On one hand, he said, Egypt was eager to score points at home and abroad by successfully brokering a cease-fire agreement. But on the other, Israel's announcement concerning Shalit helps Egypt to maintain its tough stance vis-a-vis Hamas.
While Hamas wants Egypt to fully open its Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip, Cairo has insisted that it would not do so without the acceptance and presence of the Palestinian Authority, as dictated by a 2005 agreement. Egypt is particularly concerned that an open border with Rafah would allow Hamas fighters to acquire training, support or equipment from Iran.
"Since the Egyptians have been negotiating with Hamas since the end of the war... they have not made any concessions to Hamas," noted Mazel, who served as Israeli ambassador to Egypt between 1996 and 2001. "They kept telling them, 'Listen, you have lost the war... and you cannot impose conditions'" on Israel or Egypt.
Egypt is trying to contain Hamas, in coordination with the PA and Israel, as much as it can, while at the same time maintaining stability in the Gaza Strip, according to Mazel. As a result, he said, "if Israel becomes, at the last moment, tougher vis-a-vis Hamas and links Gilad Shalit to the agreement, it's not so bad for the Egyptians.""
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